Are You Okay
by Syjack
Summary: The Marauders sneak to the library after hours, Remus stays behind. Chocolate is shared and a pick me up of realization happens, hopefully.
1. Remus

"Moony, are you sure you don't want to come?" James asked. They were down in the empty common room, James and Peter were putting on their cloaks, Remus was reading by the fire on the couch firmly planted with a book in hand.

"I'm sure, just want to finish this up by tonight." His attention was diverted back to the book.

"Let the old maid stay at home with his book. James, found it, let's go." Sirius came rushing down the stairs looking disheveled, pulled his cloak on and was shooing Peter and James out.

"Listen mate, are you sure about this, it's our seventh year and we can't forget togo out with a bang. Also because navigating around the library with these two nutters is going to be one hell of a.." James was cut off as he was shoved toward the door by Sirius. "I'm going, I'm going, shieks."

Sirius looked towards the door and looked back at Remus, pausing a moment. "Remus" Remus' head did not look up from the book, nor did he give any indication that Sirius was there. "Remus?" Sirius said a bit louder though quietly at the same time, more like making sure Remus was in the room, than to get his attention.

The second time, Remus' head shot up from his book and he stared at Sirius. "What?"

Sirius looked him up and down, "You alright mate?"

"Yes, I'm fine. The full moon isn't for another week." Then his gaze traveled back to the book.

"That's not what I meant"

Remus' eyes got slightly less focused on his book, but he continued to stare at it nevertheless. He sighed and nodded his head. "I'm alright."

Sirius nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Okay" then he left the room.

Remus thought for awhile staring into the fireplace before continuing to read. He heard more footsteps coming down from the boy's room. He turned to face his head to see who it was, as all of the rest of the marauders had previously exited the common room with the invisibility cloak. "What we're you doing up there?" he asked somewhat warmly, and it seemed as if a light had appeared in his eyes that few would notice.

She smiled. "I was helping Sirius find that damned invisibility cloak. I swear to God that man can't find anything unless it's in a broom closet."

Remus' head flew up like a shot and his eyes were wide as he looked at her. "What?"

She made a face at him. "Not like I'd ever know, thank God."

She sat next to him on the couch and he put his head back down to his book. Then stared at one word for five seconds before saying, "Where's the chocolate?"

She laughed. "Can't get anything past you. That's the real reason I was up there. Went to find some chocolate and then found that nutter sifting through trunks trying to find something." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bar of chocolate. "Hot dog or hamburger?"

"Hamburger"

She broke the chocolate in half width wise and handed him a piece. He saved his place in his book and took the slab. A ritual they had done since she was three and he was five. She reached over and grabbed the book. "Hogwarts a History?" She looked at him like he was a hippogriff who had sprouted antlers. "Again?"

He smirked and grabbed his book back. "It never hurts to brush up"

"I'm agreed on that but surely you've memorized it by now."

"No I haven't in fact." He stared deep into the fireplace and took a bite out of his chocolate.

She did as well and then stared at him for a good minute. Then she frowned, and a Lupin frowning while there is chocolate is rare. "What's up?"

He looked away from the fireplace. "Nothing much, just in for some reading. They snuck out to the library to find information on who knows what."

"Let me rephrase. What's wrong? and I know something is because you haven't wolfed down that hunk of chocolate. What's going on?

"Funny you should mention wolf."

"But the full moon isn't for about another week?"

He smiled sadly at her. "Just because it doesn't happen in about a week means that it doesn't affect the rest of the time."

"You feeling okay, did someone say something?"

"No, nobody said anything." He sighed and returned to his book. "I wonder if James has killed Sirius or Peter." He smiled slightly, she did not.

"It's about them." She stated as more of a fact. "You think they're not really you're true friend because you've got your furry little problem." She frowned.

He set his book open on his lap and stared straight ahead, and said rather methodically as if there were no emotions involved and he was just explaining something she needed help with in Defense Against the Dark Arts. "I'm somewhat separate from them."

"Number one: you're full of it. Number two: you should have gone with them tonight. Number three: you should put that book down right now, and last but not least," she looked directly at him "Don't fill your head with these thoughts that you don't belong or don't fit in. You're a Marauder remember. If anything your probably the brains behind the operation of Hogwarts most famed band of merry little pranksters. You have friends who care about you." Then she lightened up. "So stop being a mopey sod."

He smiled genuinely and took a huge bite out of his chocolate. "You know, you can be a right nosey git when you set your mind to it, and a big mouth as well."

She smiled and laughed. "Damn right big brother." Then they talked for a good long while, he never once picked up his book.


	2. Alice and Sirius

"Hey Sirius" She said as she walked across the seventh year boys dorm and sat down on Remus' bed.

"Hey Alice," He took a second from rifling under James' bed to look up at her and give her a slight wave, his hair was falling down in his eyes and part of the room looked like it had been rummaged through. "What's up?"

She gave a meek little smile, not that he could see anyway. "Not much, what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking," a stack of written on old parchment papers were moved "for," an old shirt was tossed aside, "that damned invisibility cloak."

"hmm."

"hmm what?"

She smirked and smiled wide. "Sirius?"

"Yes Alice."

"The invisibility cloak is lying under Peter's bed."

He stopped, and closed his eyes under James' bed. "So it is?"

"Yep"

He crawled out from under the bed, stood up, walked over and grabbed it from plain sight. He ran it through with his hands. He turned around and walked for the door. "Thanks Alice."

"No problem."

And then he caught her eyes as he was about to walk past her. They were different. Her eyes were far away, and her brow was knit. When she noticed him looking at her she gave a half smile and shrugged. "What?"

"What is it?"

"What is what?"

"You look … you look troubled is all."

Her eyes turned sad. "It's Remus."

"What about him?"

Her brow knit again, though this time it was in contemplation, and when she spoke, her hands gestured to emphasize certain points or form a rhythm to help her speak. "It's just, he's reading."

"Remus reads a lot, what about it."

She rolled her eyes. "I know he reads a lot, but this time it's different. It's like," she struggled with how to phrase it. "He's disconnecting himself from the world, he's checked out, he's disengaging. Sirius, he's not here anymore." She leaned forward and touched his shoulder, "Would you, would you just make sure he's alright?" She looked up at him

He nodded twice then spoke, "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll talk to him about it."

"Thank you Sirius."

"No problem." And then he brushed aside a bit of her hair from her face and leaned down, and pressed his lips against hers. It wasn't rough or passionate, it was just him, grabbing her shoulder and kissing her softly. He pulled back and opened his eyes. Her eyes did the same and she stared back at him in confusion. "I'm sorry."

She stared at him, though had a questioning look on her face. "It's okay." She said it softly and slowly.

"Really"

"Yeah, don't worry about it" He looked at her slightly nervous. She smiled. "Sirius, I'm not going to tell on you if that's what you're worried about. We just … kissed." She nodded her head. He gave a nod that both signaled agreement and for her to continue. "Look, I don't love you. I'm sorry, I'm just not a part of your fan club. It was good, don't get me wrong, but we're not going into some kind of relationship, it's not like we're going to be doing this kind of thing often. So, yeah."

He smiled. That was the first time a girl had ever not immediately started going into some kind of ill-advised rant on what does this mean, what are we, do you love me, what's the deal. Rather she was explaining to him. He liked it, she didn't care and neither did he. He didn't know why he did it, he just did. That was it, plain and simple, and she got it. It was nice.

"Thanks Alice." He looked at her and smiled and went to leave

"Thanks yourself Sirius, that was a good kiss." He laughed and hurried down the stairs.

She smiled and then flipped onto someone's bed. She wouldn't tell him. It was an interesting experience getting your first kiss from one of your friends and one of your brother's best friends. She was speaking truthful in saying that it was okay. It just was. It wasn't a big deal, well it kind of was, but it wasn't drama. It didn't have to be and why should it. She didn't love him, well she cared about him, I guess you could say she loved him, but not in a romantic way. She knew he had girls, but he was Sirius, and anyways it wasn't like that. It's not like he was asking her out on a date or anything, she wasn't lined up in his head as a conquest, so why not. She smiled, and then sniffed the air. Chocolate. She went over to Remus bed, stood in front of it for a minute, and then lifted up the covers. There towards the wall, was a bar of chocolate. She eyed the door and snuck it into her pockets. If this wouldn't help him, nothing would.


End file.
